Chores
by imp01
Summary: Story is set early in the first season. Mark experiences his first medical situation with Hardcastle and learns a bit more about chores.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to me, nor do I profit from the story, etc. This is a work of fan fiction.

Ratings and Warnings: R, for a little prison violence suggested but nothing graphic.

Author's Notes: Story is set early in the first season. McCormick is still adjusting to life with Hardcastle. Mark still doesn't know if he can really trust the Judge to not send him back to prison. Mark experiences his first real medical emergency with the Judge and Sarah. Just a little what-if story. Please forgive any of the medical mistakes – I'm an engineer not a medic even though I did ask my mom some questions.

**Chores**

By Michelle Wood

"McCormick, get over here!" Mark McCormick walked slowly across the patio towards Judge Hardcastle. " Where have you been? It is after 8 am and the pool hasn't been cleaned yet."

"Sorry, I'm not feeling very good today. I guess the leftover pizza for breakfast yesterday wasn't such a good idea," McCormick chirped. "Don't worry about the pool, I'll get it cleaned today," Mark sighed and rubbed his forehead in an effort to stop the throbbing headache.

"Well, I want the pool cleaned by 9 am, the rose garden weeded, and the hedges trimmed today. I want all this done with no whining! Also check with Sarah. She has a few things for you as well. I'm going downtown and will be back by 2 pm. I expect to see progress by then." Not waiting to hear any comments from McCormick, Judge Hardcastle headed to the garage, leaving Mark with a long list of chores and a throbbing bad headache.

"So much for not feeling good and catching a break with the yard work." Mark mumbled to himself as he grabbed the pool cleaning equipment and began skimming the pool. "At least he didn't threaten to send me back to prison for being sick and slacking off." About an hour later, as Mark was finishing the pool, Sarah came out with a glass of ice water for him.

"Good morning, Mark. I thought you could use a glass of water since you're working so hard this morning. It looks like you have already worked up a sweat."

"Thanks Sarah. I am a little warm. The judge mentioned that you had a few things for me to work on today. Give me your list and I'll add it to the Judge's."

" Well, Mark, I would like to have the shrubs next to the gatehouse trimmed and the flowerbed near the gatehouse mulched. Do you think you can do that today?"

"I'll try, Sarah. I still have the hedges to trim but I can get the shrubs trimmed afterwards." Mark took a long sip of the water, closed his eyes, and rubbed his side. He then sighed and stood up.

"Mark, are you okay? You seem a little out of sorts this morning. Is everything okay?" Sarah asked with concern in her voice. Sarah had not liked the ex-con when he first came to Gulls' Way, but over the last couple of weeks, she had found Mark to be a very sweet young man that she could trust. She quickly had realized that he was just a scared and lonely young man when he first came. He could be mouthy with the judge but was always respectful to her and she appreciated his willingness to help her with household chores.

"I'm fine, Sarah. My head hurts but it's nothing to worry about. I'd better get back to work. The judge wants a lot done before he returns. Thanks again for the water."

"Okay then. I'll call you when lunch is ready."

Around noon, Sarah had sandwiches and ice tea prepared. "Mark, come on in for lunch" Sarah called to Mark who was working on the shrubs by the gatehouse.

"Be there in a minute. I want to finish these last two." About a half hour later, Mark came into the kitchen, wiping sweat from his brow. He washed his hands in the sink and sat down at the table. As he sat down, he felt a sharp pain in his right side and grabbed his side.

"What's wrong Mark?' Sarah asked while watching Mark carefully rub his side.

"I don't know, musta pulled a muscle while finishing the shrubs." Mark picked up his sandwich and proceeded to eat a few bites. Sarah chatted with Mark about how nice the hedges look and how he really was doing a good job with the yard work. Mark sat quietly but didn't seem to be focused on eating.

After about 10 minutes of picking at his lunch, Mark quietly asked, "Sarah, may I be excused, please?"

"Of course Mark, but you didn't eat much for lunch and I know you didn't eat breakfast. Are you sure you are okay?"

"It's okay, Sarah, I'm not really hungry today. I want to get started on the rose garden before the judge gets home. Thanks for lunch. I'll be out working in the rose garden." With that Mark picked up his plate, placed it next to the sink and headed out the back door towards the rose garden.

Sarah shook her head and began to clean up from lunch. _That boy is always hungry. Something is definitely wrong. He seems a bit feverish and I think his side was bothering him. I hope he isn't coming down with the flu or something. Maybe I should mention it to the Judge_

Around two o'clock, Hardcastle returned to Gulls' Way. He walked towards the main house and stopped when he noticed the hedges and smiled. As Hardcastle entered the house, he called to Sarah. "Good afternoon, Sarah. Looks like McCormick has been doing his chores today. Any problems with him?"

"No problems, Judge. Mark has been working non-stop since you left this morning. How did your meeting with Mr. Dalem go this morning?"

"Well, it went as well as could be expected. Even though McCormick is in my judicial custody, Mr. Dalem wants to have McCormick check in on a quarterly basis for this first year. His next check-in is scheduled for this Wednesday. I'll make sure we don't have anything going on. Can't have him racing across the desert again for this meeting," Hardcastle said with a slight smile on his face as he remembered Mark's mad dash across the desert after nailing Martin Cody.

"Your Honor, I am a bit worried about Mark. He didn't eat breakfast this morning and he only had a couple bites of lunch. He has been feverish as well but keeps saying he's fine. I think he's sick and won't say anything. Judge, you need to go talk to him."

"All right, Sarah. I'll check on him and let him know about his appointment on Wednesday. Where is he working now?" Hardcastle asked gently.

"He was heading out to work on the rose garden about an hour ago. He should still be working there. Thanks, Judge. He really is a good boy." With that said, Sarah walked back towards the kitchen.

The judge headed out towards the rose garden. Near the rose garden, he noticed Mark was kneeling on the ground holding his side. Mark appeared to be breathing hard and pain was etched across his face. "McCormick!" the judge yelled. Mark looked up briefly, mumbled something that the Judge couldn't hear, and passed out. The judge ran to McCormick and as he approached, he noticed that Mark had vomited several times and was now lying in the dirt. Mark was fevered but his skin had a clammy feel to it and his breathing was a bit rapid. The judge felt for Mark's pulse rate. "Damn, much too fast."

"SARAH!" the judge yelled towards the house. Sarah came out of the house and looked towards the rose garden. She saw Judge Hardcastle holding McCormick in his arms with Mark's head leaning against the judge's shoulder. "Call an ambulance and grab a blanket. He is going into shock!" With the order issued, Sarah quickly made the call and gave directions. She grabbed a blanket out of the den closet and a towel from the kitchen and ran back towards the rose garden.

"Come on, kid, wake up!" the judge yelled at Mark. Mark tried to open his eyes but was hit with another burst of pain that left him panting. Once the pain passed, Mark whispered, "Sorry" to Hardcastle and opened his eyes slowly. Sarah came over with the blanket, which Hardcastle wrapped around McCormick. "The ambulance is on the way, Judge. How's Mark doing?"

"I'm okay, Sarah. Sorry I didn't finish the weeding or the mulch, " Mark said in a faint and strained voice as he closed his eyes again. "God, it hurts so bad, Judge." McCormick slumped even further against Hardcastle.

"Hang in there, kid, everything is going to be okay. Can you hear the sirens?" The judge looked up at Sarah. "Sarah, would you lead them here?"

"Of course. I'll be right back Mark." Sarah gave McCormick a pat on the shoulder but received no response. She stood up and ran back towards the driveway, just as the ambulance was pulling in. Sarah greeted the paramedics and directed them to the rose garden. As they hurried over towards the judge and Mark, she explained what she knew.

Mark was rushed to the hospital. Judge Hardcastle followed in the Corvette. When the judge arrived he was told that Mark was already heading to surgery. It appeared to be appendicitis and a serious case. The doctors were concerned that his appendix had already burst.

Hardcastle took a seat in the waiting area and began to fill out the paperwork on McCormick. He had to call Sarah to look up some information from McCormick's file. _Damn, I guess I should have noticed this morning. Why didn't he say anything to me? What was he thinking?_

About three hours later a nurse asked for Mark McCormick's family. Judge Hardcastle stood up and moved to talk with the doctors.

"So how is McCormick doing? Will he be okay?" Judge Hardcastle asked with concern in his voice.

"Well, Mr. McCormick is doing as well as can be expected for someone who had his appendix rupture. He is in stable condition. We have removed the appendix and cleaned the abdominal cavity. It appears that the appendix ruptured several hours ago and as a result Mark is now fighting a case of peritonitis. He is currently running a fever of 102 degrees due to the infection, so we have him on an IV with antibiotics. We also have inserted a drainage tube directly into the abdominal cavity. We are moving him to a room right now."

"Will he be okay? Is he awake and can I see him?" Hardcastle asked anxiously. He had not realized just how serious things had been when McCormick had collapsed. But hearing the doctor's rundown on what had happened since McCormick arrived at the hospital made the judge a little fearful.

"Barring any additional complications, he will be able to go home in a week to ten days. Unfortunately, it may be about two months before he can fully return to normal activities. This can be a serious condition and we need to monitor Mr. McCormick for the development of abscesses, which could lead to additional surgeries. He was slow to awake from the anesthesia but seems to be doing fine. He is sleeping at the moment and we expect him to sleep for a while. I'll let you see him for a few minutes, but then I would like him to rest for the evening. You can return tomorrow during visiting hours."

The doctor motioned for one of the nurses to take Judge Hardcastle back to see McCormick. Hardcastle was ushered into a dimly-lit room. He saw Mark lying still in the hospital bed with tubes coming from his stomach and an IV in his left arm. Mark looked more like a little kid than the strong young man that he normally was, lying in the bed. His face was pale except for the flushed cheeks. Hardcastle walked up to Mark's bed and carefully brushed a lock of curly brown hair from his forehead. It was the type of gesture a father would do for his son, not the type of gesture that Mark would have expected from Hardcase Hardcastle. Judge Hardcastle stood next to the bed, not exactly sure what to say.

"Hey, kiddo. Hedges and shrubs look good. You did a good job today. McCormick. I really wish you woulda told me that you weren't feeling good. I'll give you time off when you're sick. Anyways, the doctor says you're going to be okay but it's going to take some time. I want you to rest and focus on getting better. Sarah's real concerned about you."

Hardcastle looked up and saw the nurse motion that it was time to leave. "Listen kiddo, I need to be going. Visiting hours are almost over but I'll be back tomorrow morning to check on you. I'll bring Sarah along. Take it easy, kid." Hardcastle patted Mark's shoulder and headed to the door. He took a last look at Mark before quietly closing the door. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night for McCormick.

Around midnight, Mark began thrashing around in his hospital bed. He was having nightmares about events that happened in prison. _It was Mark's first week in San Quentin. He was trying to make his way across the yard when two other prisoners came up along side him and pushed him towards a corner of the yard._

"_Hey! What's going on?" Mark asked with a little apprehension in his voice. He knew that being singled out never led to anything good._

"_Someone wants to see you." One of his fellow prisoners said while pushing him closer towards a large older inmate who had a dangerous gleam in his eyes._

"_I don't know you, so what do you want with me?"_

"_Oh, I know we don't know each other yet but I want to be better acquainted with you," the older inmate said. "So, what do you say we move inside and get to know each other?" His voice was more of a demand than a question._

_Mark swallowed hard and the urge to run was strong. "I'm sorry but I think I would rather mingle with the others right now. Being new here, I think it would be best to meet my neighbors first. Thanks for the offer," Mark said as he turned to walk away._

_One of the two captors grabbed his arm and swung Mark around. "I think you should listen. Mr. Simmons and take this opportunity to meet with him.." _

"_Don't you guys understand NO?" Mark pulled his arm out of the first goon's hand and began to walk away_

_The next thing that Mark knew he had two guys holding him down while Mr. Simmons began to slam his fists into Mark's midsection. Mark was doubled over in pain, but continued to struggle the whole time, trying to break free. He was terrified that he was going to be charged with fighting. After what seemed like an eternity of being used as a punching bag, a couple of guards came over to break up the fight. As soon as the guards showed up, the two inmates that were holding McCormick let him go and he fell to the ground with a limp thud. He was barely conscious but could feel the arms of the guard helping him up and moving him towards the infirmary._

_Upon returning to his cell, there was a note telling him to watch his back because Mr. Simmons still wanted to meet with him._

During his nightmare, Mark managed to sit up and began pulling at the IV in his left hand and at the drainage tube in his abdomen. As the alarm started going off, two nurses came running into his room. The older nurse tried to calm him down, while a younger nurse tried to restrain his arms. After five minutes of weak struggling, Mark's arms were restrained to the sides of his hospital bed and the older nurse had managed to keep the abdominal tube inserted. The IV had to be re-inserted but Mark was still struggling against the restraints, which was making it difficult to re-inset the IV. The second nurse tried to speak calmly to Mark while the older nurse placed a board under his hand and began to re-insert the IV. McCormick eventually began to calm down, allowing the nurse to re-start the IV. She left his arm strapped to the board and wrapped the IV needle insertion point in a sterile bandage.

As the nurses finished their work, the older nurse wiped a cool cloth over McCormick's warm forehead and proceeded to take his temperature. It was 103 degrees and it appeared to be rising. She also checked his chart and noted that he was overdue for another dose of pain medication. " Poor kid. He's really having a hard time with this," the younger nurse said to the first nurse as she wiped a few tears that had seeped out from under Mark's closed eyelids.

"Hopefully his family will be able to talk with him tomorrow. That should help re-assure him that things will be okay." The older nurse motioned to the second nurse to go ahead while she administered another dose of medication. She wanted to spend a few more minutes with the young man who was obviously distressed.

The rest of the night progressed with no more major outbursts from McCormick. He continued to struggle against the restraints whenever the fever or pain started to rise. Mark's fever-induced dreams continued to be filled with bad memories from prison, mixed with Hardcastle's voice telling him that he was no genius and that he was not a substitute for his son. Mark would mumble occasionally that he was sorry.

Tuesday morning, Judge Hardcastle and Sarah came to visit. The Judge was shocked to see McCormick's arms restrained. "What are those for?" Hardcastle asked the nurse who was checking on McCormick.

"Last night, Mr. McCormick was very agitated, having nightmares, and thrashing in bed. He managed to pull out his IV and was trying to pull out the drainage tube. It took two nurses to restrain him and restart the IV. We are going to leave his arm strapped to the board as a precaution. If he remains quiet throughout the day, we will remove the restraints. I know it seems harsh, but it really is for his own good," the nurse explained.

"Well, how's he doing today?" Sarah asked as she stood by McCormick's bed holding his hand.

"He's been quiet for a couple hours now, but his fever has been hovering about 103 degrees. He was given another dose of pain medication about an hour ago. He's been awake briefly and but not lucid yet. He keeps mumbling about a donkey and a coyote. However, we really don't expect him to be yet with the fever or the pain medication. He will probably sleep most of the day. I'll have the doctor stop by to check on him and give you an update."

"Thank you. We do appreciate you taking care of him for us. Is there any chance that he'll be awake today?" asked the judge.

"Well, there is always a chance, but the odds of him being lucid are fairly low until the fever breaks. We have him on strong antibiotics but it could be a day or two more before the infection is brought under control and the fever breaks. The pain medicine also seems to make him sluggish. Sit with him, re-assure him that everything is going to be okay, and try to comfort him when he struggles against the restraints. In this fevered state, he seems to become agitated easily and is more likely to hurt himself further," said the nurse gently. "I need to be going now so I'll leave you three alone. Please use the call button if you need anything. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check on him."

"Thank you again," Sarah replied to the nurse as the nurse left. "Judge, why don't you go get us some coffee while I sit with Mark."

"Okay, Sarah. I'll be back in a few minutes."

As Sarah stood by McCormick and stroked his right hand, she began to talk softly to Mark about his first night at the estate. "You were such a scared young man that first night with us. Oh, you were all bluster and spoke angry words about how God should keep that man. But it really was a charade and I saw through it as soon as you stated that you could get your own bed turned down. And then you wished me good night. You're so different from the others. I knew then that you were a good young man, who had made a couple of mistakes. I know you haven't figured out what all is expected of you yet, but I hope you realize that I think you're doing a good job. You may whine about the chores but you always complete them and you do a good job with them. Besides, I like how you keep the Judge on his toes. It is nice to have someone else to cook for and to talk with. You rest now. I'm just going to sit here so if you need anything, you just let me know." With that last word, Sarah patted his hand and brushed a damp curl from McCormick's fevered forehead.

Judge Hardcastle returned to the room carrying two cups of coffee just as Sarah was starting to pull a chair towards the bed. "Let me help you with that, Sarah," said the judge as he set down the two cups. "How's he doing?"

"He hasn't moved a muscle. He is so warm and still. The stillness is frightening, especially given how active he normally is," Sarah said with more than a touch of sadness in her voice as she sat in the chair that Hardcastle held for her.

"I know, Sarah, but he'll be okay. He's young and strong. Give it time and he'll be back to his usual mouthy self. I suppose I should probably call Dalem today and let him know that there's no way McCormick will be meeting with him tomorrow. I don't think there'll be any issues with him not checking in personally since he is in the hospital, but I should probably call him." Hardcastle picked up the phone and dialed the parole officer's number.

"Dalem, Hardcastle here. Look, I know I said that McCormick would stop by tomorrow to meet with you but there has been a slight change in plans." The judge listened for a moment and then said, "Yeah, it is kind of serious. His appendix burst yesterday afternoon and he had surgery last night." The judge paused and then said, "No, he's still out of it and probably won't be released for a week or so. If you want to stop by today and see him yourself, I don't think he'd mind." After a few minutes, Hardcastle responded, "Okay, see you later then." Before he could hang up, he stopped and grumbled, "Oh, yeah, room 216 at St. Mary's. See you then." Hardcastle hung up the phone and looked to Sarah.

"Dalem will be stopping by later to see McCormick. Don't know why but I don't think he trusts this arrangement yet."

"Doesn't that man know you yet? I know you have pulled a few strings for Mark but you have not done anything that would get him sent back."

"I know, Sarah. It's just that this arrangement is a little unorthodox. I don't think there'll be any problems. Dalem will stop by, chat with, and maybe McCormick if he is awake, and then leave. Next week McCormick will have to meet with him, after he is released from the hospital. No big deal."

Mark had started to wake up during the Judge's phone conversation with Dalem and the follow-up conversation with Sarah. He caught the phrases: meeting with Dalem, don't trust the arrangement, and sent back. He wasn't sure what was going on but he was pretty sure it was not something he was going to enjoy. His head felt fuzzy and he didn't have the energy to wake up fully and ask the judge what was going on, so he allowed himself to slip back to sleep.

Hardcastle and Sarah spent most of the day sitting with McCormick. Nurses stopped by throughout the day to take vital signs, administer medication, and reset IV bags. Mark slept through all of the activity. Around 4 pm, Dalem knocked on the door to McCormick's room. Judge Hardcastle motioned for him to come in.

"How's he doing, Judge?" Dalem asked while looking at the young man who was oblivious to his presence. He noticed the nurse that was removing the restraints from Mark's arms.

"Holding his own. He been awake briefly but we haven't talked with him and the fever hasn't broken either," Hardcastle responded. "It's going to be a few days before things improve."

"What's with the restraints?"

"McCormick had a rough night and managed to pull the IV out. He's been fairly quiet today so they are being removed, for now at least. Well, I know we talked about having McCormick check in with you for a few more weeks, but in light of how things look now, do you think we can pass for a couple more weeks? He isn't going anywhere for at least two weeks."

"Yeah, I think we can safely say that Mark is not going to skip out on you. Besides, seeing how both you and Sarah have been sticking with him, it doesn't appear that he has been unsupervised." Dalem conceded. "How about giving me a call once Mark is feeling better. Based on our discussion yesterday, I still want to talk with McCormick but it can wait."

"Okay, once we get him back to Gulls' Way you come on out and talk with him. The doctors say it will be a month or more before he is back to full strength. I don't see him as a flight risk during the recovery period, but then again I really don't believe he ever has been a flight risk."

"Judge, Mr. Dalem; Mark is not a flight risk. He is working hard and trying to stay out of trouble. He really is a good young man who has made some mistakes. I know that he can be a bit of trouble, but it is an act," Sarah calmly stated. "You know he could have run instead of returning from Las Vegas. He could have walked away a number of other times but he always returns and does as he is asked. Mr. Dalem, I honestly think that Mark is trying to turn his life around. We just need to give him a chance and trust him a bit."

"I guess I didn't realize you trusted him so much, Sarah," the judge stated with an expression of amazement on his face. "I didn't think you would ever trust another one after J.J. Beale."

"Well, Mark is definitely not J.J. He's a hard-working young man who is trust worthy. He's more respectful of me than any of the others have been and he's actually very easy to read. Look at his eyes and you'll see that he's scared and looking for someone he can trust." That being said, Sarah went back to Mark's side and wiped his forehead. He was starting to moan. He was trying to wake up and was moving his head a bit. Sarah whispered a few quiet words in his direction and he settled back down.

"Well Milt, I think I'll be going now but I'll stay in touch. Let me know if anything changes with Mark. Hope he's doing better tomorrow." Dalem turned to leave the room.

"Thanks. I'll keep you posted, " Hardcastle said as Dalem left. Hardcastle turned back to Sarah. "Well, that went better than expected. Thanks for speaking up about McCormick."

"I only spoke the truth, Your Honor. Mark needs our support and he needs to learn that we can be trusted. I'm not sure we would be here tonight if he had mentioned earlier that he was not feeling well and that he was in pain. Maybe we could have avoided this complication, if he had trusted us enough to tell us when something was wrong." Sarah went back to her chair and sat down next to Hardcastle.

"I know, Sarah. I'm sure McCormick would have liked to have heard what you said to Dalem. Why don't you go ahead and go back to the estate. You've been here all day and could use the break. I'll call you a cab for you and then I'll come home after visiting hours."

"Are you sure, Your Honor? I don't mind staying with Mark for a little while longer," answered Sarah. "How about I stay long enough for you get some dinner?"

"That's fine," answered Hardcastle as he picked up the paper and started to read. He wasn't hungry yet and could sense that Sarah was reluctant to leave Mark.

Shortly after 5 pm, Hardcastle went down to the cafeteria for something to eat. He wasn't really hungry but he wanted Sarah to head home for some rest. He was amazed at how quickly Sarah had come to trust McCormick. While Hardcastle was getting dinner, Mark woke up for a few mintues.

"Good evening. How are you feeling Mark?" Sarah asked when she saw that his eyes were open.

"Sarah," Mark said in a scratchy voice. "Head's fuzzy. Achy," stated Mark trying to lift his head up to look around.

"It's okay. You're in the hospital. You've been sick."

Mark closed his eyes again and whispered. "Where's Hardcastle?"

"Down in the cafeteria. He'll be back in a little bit," assured Sarah.

"Okay," mumbled McCormick as he drifted back to sleep.

A few minutes later, Hardcastle returned to the room. Sarah told him that she had talked briefly with Mark. "I'm going home now. Are you sure you want to stay?" asked Sarah, even though she knew the answer already.

"I'm sure. I'll only be here for a couple more hours. Go ahead and go home. We'll come back tomorrow morning," Hardcastle said in a confident voice. "I figure that tomorrow morning he'll be awake and his mouth will be running at full speed."

"All right. Don't stay too long." Sarah got up from her chair and went back over to Mark. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Mark's forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mark. Take care." Turning towards the Judge, Sarah said gently, "Good night, Your Honor," and then she left.

Around 7 pm that evening Mark began to thrash a bit. He was back to having the prison dreams.

Mark was in the hallway, returning to his cell from shop class with another inmate, Scotty. As they were walking, Mark was pulled into an empty room by the two thugs from the week before. The thugs nodded to Scotty and said, "Thanks for the delivery." Mark knew at that point he had been setup and he began to fight. Since his ribs still ached and he was tired from not sleeping well for the past month, he was not able to fight very hard against two men. He was shoved roughly against the wall and hit a few more times in the ribs. One more well-placed hit to his head and things went dark. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the floor, feeling sore all over and in deep trouble. He quickly pulled himself together and limped towards the door.

As soon as he got to the door, a guard saw him and yelled, "Hey what are you doing in here? Prisoners don't belong in the classrooms without instructors or guards at all times." The guard looked directly at McCormick and demanded an answer with his eyes as well as the command, "Answer me!"

When McCormick didn't answer, the guard picked up a phone in the classroom and called the main guard desk. "Lieutenant, tell the warden that we found our missing prisoner. I'll take him to solitary confinement now."

Mark was grabbed roughly by the guard and hauled back down the hallway towards the end of the building where the infirmary and solitary confinement were. As the guard walked McCormick down the hall, he muttered something about this new kid being a real troublemaker.

As they neared the solitary confinement cells, Mark asked quietly, "Why am I going here? I didn't do anything wrong. I was the one attacked last week and then again today."

"McCormick, until we figure out what you were really doing in that room today, you are going to stay in solitary. So you either need to tell me what you were doing or go sit in the box. It's your choice." The guard looked at McCormick with an intensity that scared him.

"I was coming back from class when I was pulled into that room and attacked by the same goons as last week," Mark said quietly. He was scared and wasn't sure that the guard believed him. He really didn't want to sit in solitary confinement

The guard looked at him and said, "Well, until I can verify your story you are going to stay in here. I can have a doctor come check you out if you'd like, but you will stay here." The guard opened the steel door to the simple room that was a solitary confinement cell.

"No, I don't need a doctor," Mark said without looking at the guard. He was too busy staring at the small windowless cell. A chill went down his spine. "What if they tell you it didn't happen?"

"Well, if they say they didn't do it and there are no other witnesses, then I'll have to assume you were in that room by yourself and unauthorized. That is a mandatory ten days in confinement for breaking the rules." The guard could hear Mark sigh. "Is there something I should know about?"

"No!" Mark almost shouted. He was beginning to realize that he would be spending the next ten days alone in the dark room because he was pretty sure that the goons would deny the assault charges.

"Alright. In you go then. I'll be back later to let you know what I found out." With that the guard pushed Mark into the cell and closed the door behind him.

Mark walked the couple of steps over to the corner, put his back against the wall and slid down to the floor. Once on the floor he pulled his knees up, wrapped his arms around his legs, laid his head down on his knees, and cried softly. He knew San Quentin was bad and now fighting and solitary confinement were going to be added to his record – parole for good behavior was not likely. He eventually rocked himself to sleep.

When the guard came back two hours later, McCormick was sitting on the floor and staring at the wall. As the guard opened the door, Mark looked up. "Looks like you will be staying in here for awhile. The other two prisoners denied touching you today, but the third prisoner is currently not talking due to a busted nose. It appears that he was fighting but won't say with whom. The warden has agreed that it would be best to keep you in here until things are sorted out."

Mark's head nodded once and he placed it back down on his knees, before he quietly said, "It doesn't matter. I'll never survive two years in here, let alone the entire five."

As the dream progressed, Mark became more agitated. He mumbled and began to cry silently. Hardcastle gently wiped away the tears and wondered what was going in McCormick's head. After about ten minutes of watching Mark struggle, he decided to buzz for the nurses' station. The older nurse from the previous night came in and said Mark could have another dose of pain medication. She looked over at Hardcastle, who was gently rubbing Mark's hand as she inserted the needle filled with pain medication into the IV line.

"Your son is lucky to have you here. Last night he gave me a little scare when he pulled his IV out. He was in pain and seemed so lonely and scared that he had tears coming down his cheeks," the nurse stated matter of factly.

"Excuse me?" Hardcastle looked up at her with a shocked expression on his face. "Mark is not my son. I am his legal guardian and he works for me."

"Oh, I am sorry. I just assumed that he was your son since it is obvious that you care about him. I am sorry if I offended you," the nurse stated nervously.

"It's okay, you didn't offend me. By the way, I'm Judge Hardcastle. McCormick here, is a special case of mine." The judge stopped and looked directly at the nurse. "What do you mean he had tears last night?" the Judge asked with a bit of concern, especially since he'd just witnessed more tears.

"Well, even though he has been sleeping and doesn't appear alert, he's still able to communicate in a very basic way. We had to wipe tears away from his cheeks several times. Many times with patients who are fevered or on strong pain medication, we see tears seeping out from under their eyelids when they are in pain, scared, or lonely."

"So, do you think Mark was expressing pain, fear, or loneliness last night? " asked the judge while looking over at Mark, who appeared to be calmer. There were still tension lines on his face but the lines were not as deep and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, but a few tears slipped down his cheeks.

"I think that Mr. McCormick was suffering from a combination of all three. It is hard for a patient who has been brought in unconscious and experienced the after effects of surgery, to be in a strange room with no one familiar near by. He's been calmer this evening than last night. I think the reason he's calmer tonight is because he senses that someone who cares about him is here," the nurse said matter of factly but gently.

"So if he is not in pain, then why is he crying?" Judge Hardcastle was still concerned that something else was wrong with McCormick.

"It could be a number of things. He may be having a bad dream or he could still be in a bit of pain. I'll watch over him and talk to the doctors to see if we need to adjust the medication levels."

Hardcastle thought about the nurse's words for a few quiet minutes while the nurse checked over Mark's vital signs. "Thank you again for taking care of McCormick. I hate to think of him still being in pain," Hardcastle said quietly.

"You're welcome. I'm just doing my job and will continue to monitor him. However, since he seems quiet now, I'll be going. Visiting hours are over in a few minutes and I suggest that you go home and get some sleep. He knows that you have been here for him." The nurse gave Mark a gentle pat on the shoulder, smiled warmly at the judge, and walked quietly from the room.

"Well, kiddo, I think you have that nurse wrapped around your finger already. I don't know how you do it, even lying in a bed sleeping all day, but you seem to make the ladies smile and flutter about you," the Judge said gruffly but with a touch of gentleness. "I'd better be going. See you in the morning." The Judge gave Mark's hand a gentle squeeze before leaving the room.

Mark slept for a few hours before he started to get restless again. The nurse was completing her rounds and stopped to spend a little extra time with Mark before going off shift.

"Well, Mark, it appears that Judge Hardcastle cares about you very much." She smoothed his hair and felt the warmth of the fever on his face. She checked his temperature again and noted that it was lingering around 102 degrees. "Well, it appears that the fever is still present. I'll give you another small dose of pain medication and a little something extra to help control the fever."

Mark settled back into a quiet sleep and remained that way until 6:30 am, when he woke up and asked the nurse for his basketball. The morning visiting hours brought the return of Sarah and Judge Hardcastle. Both were happy to hear that Mark had a quiet night but were still concerned that his fever remained. Hardcastle smiled when the nurse informed him that Mark had been asking about a basketball at 6:30 am. Mark had stayed awake long enough for a brief sponge bath before they arrived, but had fallen back to sleep before breakfast. The nurses assured them that it was normal to sleep as much as Mark was with the fever.

Around mid-morning, Mark began to show more signs of waking. His eyelids were fluttering and he was beginning to move a bit more. Sarah stood up and brushed some of his hair away from his forehead. It still felt warm to the touch. As she brushed a curl away, Mark's eyes fluttered open briefly a couple of times. He eventually opened his eyes and focus on Sarah. He whispered, "Sarah," in a shaky voice. As he looked at Sarah he offered a faint smile.

"Shh, it's okay, Mark. You're in the hospital but everything's going to be just fine," Sarah said in a warm and reassuring voice.

Mark's eyes began to close again but popped open when he heard a gruff voice announce, "McCormick, it's 'bout time you woke up."

"Judge," Mark said in a strained whisper. As hard as Mark tried to focus on the location of the judge's voice, he could not stay alert. "Tired, no basketball" he mumbled as his eyes closed again and he drifted off to sleep.

The judge couldn't help but chuckle as he reached over and squeezed McCormick's hand. "All right. No basketball today."

Sarah sat with Mark for another hour and then indicated that she needed to deal with some chores back at the estate but would return for dinnertime. The judge remained with Mark for the afternoon. He'd brought several files along to read, figuring he'd be spending a good portion of the day sitting in the chair alongside McCormick's bed. By late afternoon, the Judge had fallen asleep in his chair and Mark was sleeping in his bed.

After 4 pm, McCormick started thrashing wildly in his bed and pleading with someone to stop. Hardcastle woke up with Mark's outburst and tried to calm him down. Mark was not responding to the Judge's gentle words. Each time Mark heard the Judge's voice, Mark would beg him to not send him back to prison.

"Mark, stop it. You are going to hurt yourself," Hardcastle said sternly to Mark while holding his arms down.

Mark continued to thrash around in bed while Hardcastle tried to hold him down. "No! Can't go back, can't let Simmons get me..." Mark cried weakly. He continued to thrash his head from side to side and mumble about prison.

"Kid, I'm not sending you back. You are staying here," answered Hardcastle trying to reassure McCormick. The judge wasn't sure where this fear was coming from but he knew that Mark was not fully awake based on the conversation that they were having. The judge felt the heat radiating off of Mark's skin and decided it was probably time to call for the nurse.

As the judge was pushing the call button, Sarah returned. She witnessed Mark's agitation, as well as the judge struggling with Mark and ran over to Mark. She talked calmly to him in a soothing tone as she stroked his cheek and brushed his damp hair from his forehead. As Sarah talked to Mark, he began to quiet down and pressed his face into the palm of her hand and murmured unintelligently. Sarah looked up at the Judge judge with concern and said, "Your Honor, his fever has risen again."

A minute or two later, a nurse came into the room. "What can I help you with?" she asked.

Hardcastle explained that McCormick's fever seemed higher and he had been very agitated again. The nurse checked Mark's vitals and re-checked his temperature. As Sarah predicted, the fever had spiked. Mark's fever had gone from 102 to 104 degrees. The nurse left briefly and came back with fever-reducing drugs.

"This should help a bit," she stated as she injected the medicine into the IV. "Hopefully this will be the last big spike in his fever and then it will break. Don't worry, this is normal for patients with appendicitis." The nurse proceeded to check the IV along with the drainage bags, and everything looked good. "He should calm down and sleep some more. I'll come back in an hour to check on him."

"Thank you," Sarah said to the nurse as she turned to leave the room. "Your Honor, why don't you take a break and get some coffee? I'll stay here with Mark. He seems to be okay at the moment."

"All right, Sarah." The judge rubbed a hand across his face and looked down at the pale figure in the bed. I don't know why but he seems to think that I am sending him back to prison. He was begging me not to send him back." The judge looked up at Sarah. "How can he think that we are sending him back?"

"Well, have you ever said anything about sending him back or ever alluded to the possibility?" Sarah asked quietly, knowing full well that the judge had threatened to send Mark back if the chores were not completed. Not waiting for an answer from the judge, Sarah stroked Mark's face again.

"Yeah, I guess I might've said something along those lines. I didn't mean it."

"Mark didn't know that though. He honestly thinks that you will send him back. Go on, Your Honor, take a walk and get some coffee," Sarah ordered the Judge.

The Judge nodded his head and left for the cafeteria for a cup of coffee and something to eat. He had several things to think about and wasn't sure he could watch McCormick struggle with fear at the moment. As he drank his coffee, the Judge's mind began to wander. _He's been a good kid over the past couple of months at Gulls' Way. He has been working hard. Would I really send him back to Quentin? The kid is really terrified at the thought of going back. I don't think I would send him back to prison, at least not now. Who was Simmons and what happened that Mark is afraid of him? Which prison did they meet in? I will need to ask him about this, once he is feeling better._ After an hour of sitting and thinking the judge decided to make his way back to McCormick's room.

As the judge neared the entry to McCormick's room he heard Sarah's soft voice humming and could barely make out the words to a tune he hadn't heard in years. _Damn! I told the kid that he was not a substitute and here I stand listening to that lullaby just like I did years ago._

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,  
All through the night  
Guardian angels God will send thee,  
All through the night  
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping  
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
All through the night

Hardcastle rubbed his hand across his face and stepped into the room. He saw Sarah standing next to Mark, brushing his cheek gently with her fingers. Mark's face was still flushed but he had a more peaceful appearance than before. The lines of worry and tension were gone from his face. Instead, he looked like a young kid who was content to sleep knowing he was safe. Sarah was just finishing the last verse of the lullaby, when Hardcastle stepped closer to the bed with a gentle and sad look in his eyes.

_  
Angels watching, e'er around thee,  
All through the night  
Midnight slumber close surround thee,  
All through the night  
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping  
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
All through the night_

"Sarah," Hardcastle whispered. "I didn't know you knew that song."

"It was one that my mother would sing to my sister and me. I haven't sung it in a long time but now just seemed like the right time. Mark settled right down with it and has been sleeping peacefully for the last half hour."

"Did you know that Nancy used to sing that to Tommy when he was scared at night?"

"No, Your Honor. I didn't know," Sarah said quietly. "I bet it worked with Tommy, just like it did with Mark tonight. Sometimes we all need a little reminder that someone is watching over us. I think that is what Mark needs now." Sarah looked gently at Hardcastle who had picked up Mark's hand and was rubbing it gently.

The judge and Sarah sat with Mark until visiting hours were over and then took their leave quietly from the room, assuring Mark that they would return. Thursday morning they returned as promised, and both were relieved when the nurse informed them that Mark's fever had broken shortly after midnight. He still had a mild fever but had been sleeping quietly and once in a while would mumble in his sleep. Sarah and the judge sat down in their familiar positions and were prepared to spend the morning waiting.

They had only been there an hour when Mark started to wake up again. "McCormick." The judge said gently and picked up Mark's hand. Sarah motioned that she was going to let the nurses know that Mark was waking. A few minutes later, the doctor came back in with a nurse. After reviewing his vitals and talking with the judge and Sarah for a few minutes, the doctor and nurse left.

Mark managed to stay awake and talked quietly with Sarah and the judge for about an hour. He was still feverish and had no interest in doing anything but sleep. He eventually fell asleep listening to the judge talk about the next potential case. Hardcastle heard the change in Mark's breathing pattern and looked over to find him sleeping again.

"Well, it appears that McCormick will probably sleep through lunch, so what do you say we go and get something to eat?" announced Hardcastle.

"I guess it will be okay to leave him for a little while," said Sarah. She wasn't exactly sure that Mark would sleep all day and didn't want him waking up alone.

They didn't stay out long, just enough to grab a bite to eat. Sarah sat with Mark for the afternoon while the judge ran some errands and made a few calls. Hardcastle wanted to set up pool cleaning and yard services. The Judge also placed a call to his friend Lieutenant Delaney. Hardcastle was curious as to what information Delaney would be able to find on an inmate named Simmons. Since Hardcastle didn't know which prison he was in or what the first name even was, it was going to take some time to locate any information.

As evening approached, Mark began to wake again. He barely had opened his eyes and looked at Sarah before she was standing alongside his bed, offering reassurance and comfort. Mark smiled at Sarah and said quietly, "Thirsty."

"Let me see if I can get something for you." Sarah reached over and used the call button to alert a nurse. A few minutes later a nurse came in and Sarah asked if Mark could have sips of water or some ice chips. The nurse indicated that a few ice chips would be okay and would be right back with a cup. Mark continued to watch Sarah through eyes that were barely open. The nurse returned after a moment with the cup of ice chips. Sarah used the spoon to place a few in Mark's mouth while the nurse checked his vitals.

As the ice melted and soothed Mark's dry throat, he closed his eyes and moaned gently at the pleasure of the cool liquid. He looked at Sarah and she placed a few more in his mouth. Once the second spoonful had melted, he said to Sarah, "Thanks."

"You're welcome, dear. But what are you thanking me for?" inquired Sarah. She reached up and stroked his face in a maternal gesture.

"For being here. I don't want to be alone, especially in a hospital," Mark whispered with a little more strength in his voice. "What happened?"

"Well, Mark, it appears that you had a bad case of appendicitis that resulted in a ruptured appendix."

"Wasn't the pizza," mumbled Mark as he tried to sit up in bed. After less than a minute, he gave up and settled back into the pillows, exhausted. His eyes began to close again and he started to drift back to sleep. "Sorry," Mark slurred as he gave into the sleep.

"It's okay, Mark. You have a good long rest and work on getting better." Sarah placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and sat back down to wait for the judge. Sarah had watched him sleep for about an hour when she spoke, "Don't worry, Mark, you won't be alone again." With a simple thought in mind, she went out to the nurse's desk to make some arrangements.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hardcastle returned that evening, Sarah gave him a big smile. She remarked that Mark had been awake again and had a few ice chips. She explained that he had thanked her for being there when he woke up because he didn't want to be alone.

"So Your Honor, I made a deal with the nurses' desk. You'll be staying here tonight with Mark. The nurses and I agreed that Mark will probably wake at some point this evening and since he doesn't want to be alone, it would be beneficial for someone he knows to be here tonight."

"Sarah," the judge said with a bit of surprise in his voice, "are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes, Your Honor. I truly believe that he needs someone here tonight. He's scared and lonely," stated Sarah firmly. "The nurses will bring a cot for you later tonight. I'll stop by in the morning with a fresh change of clothes and some breakfast."

"Amazing. I leave for the afternoon and you've managed to understand the inner workings of McCormick's mind as well as work wonders with the nurses." The judge shook his head and walked over to Mark's bed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, kiddo, looks like you are stuck with me this evening. How about watching the Duke tonight? Sorry, no popcorn for you."

"Well, it looks like you are all set, so I'll head back to the estate. Goodnight and see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Sarah." The judge turned and sat down in the chair next to McCormick's bed and turned the TV on, flipping channels until he found a movie to watch. He made sure the volume was down low to avoid waking McCormick.

Before 10 pm that night, Mark woke up again. He opened his eyes slowly and saw the judge sitting in the chair next to his bed. The judge appeared to have fallen asleep watching "El Dorado". Mark could barely make out the voices from the TV but it only took one look to identify the movie. It was the first movie that he had watched with Hardcastle when he came to live at the estate. Mark smiled slightly at the memory.

"McCormick. How are you feelin'?" asked the Judge when he noticed that McCormick's eyes were open and there was a slight smile on his face.

"Okay. Water, please," croaked Mark.

"How about ice chips instead?" Hardcastle reached for the cup and spoon that he had placed on the bed table. He had made sure that the cup was always full with ice so he wouldn't have to leave the room when Mark woke.

Mark slowly nodded his head in agreement. After taking a couple of the spoonfuls of the offered ice chips he motioned that it was enough. "Thanks, Judge. At least the ice tastes better than breakfast will," quipped Mark.

"Oh yeah, while I am enjoying Sarah's blueberry muffins, you'll be enjoying a liquid diet," retorted Hardcastle. He was glad that the kid was able to make jokes after sleeping for the past three days.

"Liquid diet! You've got to be kidding?" Mark exclaimed as he tried to sit up.

"Yup. You recently had surgery and have had very little to eat for almost 5 days. Got to start off slow," explained Hardcastle as he worked the controls to raise the head of Mark's bed into a slightly inclined position. "Tomorrow will probably be weak tea or maybe some fruit juice with a little bit of gelatin."

"Oh man, do I hate hospitals," grumbled Mark. He was shifting around in bed trying to get comfortable. As he shifted he noticed the tubes coming from his side. "What's this?" asked Mark as he started to push it.

"Drainage tube for an abscess. Don't play with it," answered Hardcastle in a gruff but amazingly gentle voice. Looking at Mark's puzzled face, Hardcastle explained what had happened since Monday afternoon and the doctor's remaining concerns.

"Ahh, guess I've been out of it," answered Mark quietly. He hadn't realized that it was late on Thursday already and that both Sarah and Hardcastle had worried about him all week. It was nice to know that someone cared. Mark winced a little as he shifted again in bed.

"Pain?" asked Hardcastle getting ready to call the nurse if necessary.

"A little, but its manageable. The drugs are actually worse than the pain. Can't think straight and all I want to do is sleep." Mark lay back against the pillows.

"Nothing new there," joked the judge. "Really, McCormick, if you are in pain I can call the nurse."

"No, thanks." McCormick sat quietly and watched the movie for a few minutes. "No popcorn with the movie tonight?"

"Well, there was, but I ate it. Remember, it's a liquid diet for you," answered Hardcastle with a smile on his face.

"Can I have some more ice?"

"Sure, kid. Then I suggest you get some more sleep. You would fall over, if it weren't for the fact that you are already lying down," answered Hardcastle as he gave Mark some more ice chips.

After a couple more spoonfuls, Mark looked at the judge and said, "I'm sorry."

"What on earth for?"

"Not getting the rose garden done. I was really trying to get everything done," answered Mark in a quiet voice.

"Good grief, McCormick! I am not mad about the chores. I am, however, concerned that you didn't tell me you were sick and had been since Sunday."

"I didn't say anything because I was afraid you would send me back," offered Mark in a whisper. "I learned long ago not make a fuss about being sick."

"McCormick, what am I going to do with you?" asked the judge in an exasperated tone. "You are in my custody. Can you imagine the paperwork that I would have to complete if you died from something like appendicitis? It would appear that I neglected you or withheld medical services from you."

After a long moment of silence the judge said, "McCormick, you can trust me with stuff like this. Sarah and I don't want you to suffer when you are sick, especially when it could be something serious. Trust us. Okay?"

"I'll try," Mark said as he tried to stifle a yawn. He turned back to the TV and said with a grin, "Always liked that poem."

"What poem are you talking about?" asked Hardcastle, not sure exactly what McCormick was referring to.

"The one that Mississippi just said," answered Mark, gesturing to the TV. "It's by Edgar Allen Poe, the same guy that wrote 'The Raven'." Mark then recited it for Hardcastle.

_Gaily bedight,  
A gallant knight,  
In sunshine and in shadow,  
Had journeyed long,  
Singing a song,  
In search of Eldorado. _

_But he grew old  
This knight so bold  
And o'er his heart a shadow   
Fell as he found  
No spot of ground  
That looked like Eldorado. _

_And, as his strength  
Failed him at length,  
He met a pilgrim shadow  
"Shadow," said he,  
"Where can it be  
This land of Eldorado?" _

_"Over the Mountains  
Of the Moon,  
Down the Valley of the Shadow,   
Ride, boldly ride,"  
The shade replied  
"If you seek for Eldorado__!" _

"So, when did you become a fan of Poe?" asked a surprised Hardcastle. "Most people aren't familiar with that poem, let alone able to recite the entire thing."

"Well, I had two years to catch up on my reading. American lit was a pretty easy class at my alma mater, UCSQ," quipped Mark as he started to yawn again.

"Come on, lie back down and get some sleep." The judge grabbed the bed controls and lowered the head of the bed. He helped McCormick settle back into a comfortable position. "Good night, kiddo."

"Night, Judge," yawned Mark. "Thanks." Mark closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with a slight smile on his face.

The judge shut off the small lamp and settled into the chair for the remainder of the night. The nurses had offered to bring a cot in but he told them not to bother. _Kid, what am I going to do with you? I think we need to have another talk, but it can wait until you are feeling better, _thought the Judge as he drifted off to sleep.

Friday morning, Sarah arrived with the judge's breakfast, just as the nurse was bringing a tray in for McCormick. The judge and Mark were watching an old episode of the Lone Ranger on TV. "Good morning, Mark! It is good to see you sitting up and getting something to eat. How are you feeling this morning?"

"Good morning, Sarah. I'm glad to see you too. Can I have a muffin?" asked Mark hopefully. "This doesn't look very good," said Mark as he pointed to the tea and gelatin on his tray.

"Sorry, Mr. McCormick. Doctor ordered a liquid diet for you today. We need to see how your system handles this first," replied the nurse. "Now eat up and I will be back to clean you up in a little bit."

"Wonderful," grumbled Mark. He took a sip of the tea and set it back down. "Even the tea is bland. No sugar or lemon. No flavor."

"McCormick, quit your whining and eat your breakfast," grouched Hardcastle with a slight smile on his face. He was happy to hear the whining but would never say so. "Besides, the sooner you finish up, the sooner the nurse can give you a sponge bath," he added with a wink.

"Oh boy. Another reason to hate hospitals." Mark said dully as he looked at his tea and reluctantly took another sip.

"Mark, it isn't that bad. Besides in a few days you can go home," remarked Sarah as she saw him grimace at the tea. "Come on now, have a bit more and then you can rest. You still look a little flushed and tired."

Mark finished the tea with minimal whining but absolutely refused to eat the gelatin. He hated to admit that he was still tired and wanted to go to sleep. Sarah sensed that he was tiring and made every effort to make him comfortable enough so he could go back to sleep. While Sarah and the judge talked about the yard service that the judge had hired, Mark drifted off to sleep. The nurse returned as promised but didn't bother to wake McCormick for a sponge bath.

Mark slept for three hours and then began to move restlessly. When he woke up, Sarah was sitting next to his bed reading a book. His face was flushed and displayed a grimace of pain. "Mark, what's wrong?"

"My insides feel like they're on fire," whimpered Mark as he was trying to curl himself into a ball on the bed. "It hurts again."

Sarah quickly stood up and pushed the call button. She tried to convince Mark to lay still. She quickly felt his forehead and it was warm again. The nurse came into the room and asked what the problem was. Sarah quickly told her what Mark had said and indicated that his fever had returned. The nurse left and came back shortly with the doctor.

The doctor took a few minutes to examine Mark, who was obviously in major pain and then spoke. "Well, Mr. McCormick, it appears that either breakfast was too much for you, which I doubt, or you have developed another abscess. I tend to believe that it's another abscess since there is more drainage than yesterday."

"So what's it mean for Mark?" asked Sarah with growing concern as she watched Mark struggle with the pain. His had his eyes squeezed tight.

"Well, it means that Mark will be receiving another round of pain medication, some blood tests run, and depending on the outcome of those tests, we may be scheduling surgery for later this afternoon. We may need to go back in and drain an abscess," answered the doctor in his no-nonsense fashion. "Now, I'll go make the arrangements and the nurse will be back in a moment. We'll get Mark as comfortable as possible in the mean time."

The doctor quickly left the room and Sarah turned her attention back to Mark. She brushed more of his wayward curls from his forehead and tried to reassure him. Mark's eyes focused on Sarah's face. "Don't leave me, please," he whispered.

Sarah could tell that he was scared. The brash young man that Judge Hardcastle brought to the estate at 2 am several months ago was replaced with the scared young man in front of her. "Don't worry, I'm right here and everything is going to be just fine."

The nurse returned and injected the pain medicine into Mark's IV. She then proceeded to take a blood sample from him. Mark never noticed the needles because his eyes never left Sarah's face. After a few minutes, his features began to relax and his eyes started to close as the medicine took affect. "Stay, please," he mumbled as he drifted into the murkiness of a drug-induced sleep.

As soon as Sarah was sure that Mark was asleep, she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. She picked up the phone and called the judge back at Gulls' Way. "Hardcastle," answered the judge as he picked up phone.

"Your Honor," returned Sarah in a quiet voice that made the judge nervous. "You need to return to the hospital. Mark's had a setback and they are making arrangements for a second surgery."

"What happened? Never mind, you can tell me when I get there. I'll be there in twenty minutes," answered the judge. He quickly hung up the phone and headed back to the hospital. As he had predicted, he was back in McCormick's room twenty minutes later.

"Judge, I'm glad that you are here but doesn't it normally take more than twenty minutes to get here?" admonished Sarah.

"Yeah, I know." Hardcastle said jokingly, "Don't tell the kid though. I get on him enough about his driving. So what happened?"

Sarah proceeded to tell the judge everything that had happened since breakfast. As they were talking the doctor returned and informed them that the blood tests showed raised white blood cell levels and that Mark would be going up to surgery in about an hour. He also explained that this was an anticipated complication that could easily be corrected. It would require additional tests to detect the location of the new abscess or abscesses. Once the abscesses were identified, a drainage tube would be inserted and then the area would be cleaned thoroughly. Another round of antibiotics and some more rest would be required.

Mark never woke up before he was taken to surgery. The Judge and Sarah spent the remainder of the afternoon waiting. Around 6pm, the doctor returned and informed then that everything had gone well during surgery. One new abscess had been drained and the original abscess was drained as well. The doctor informed them that Mark was taking longer than usual to wake up from the anesthesia and would be moved back to his room as soon as he was more alert. He had prescribed new antibiotics and insisted that Mark would fine in a couple more days. Unfortunately, it did mean a longer-than-planned stay in the hospital.

Several hours later, Mark was resting comfortably in his room along with Sarah and the judge. The judge was planning on staying overnight again.

"Judge, isn't there some requirement for slumber parties between judges and ex-cons to have at least one John Wayne movie?" quipped Mark.

"Not a problem, McCormick. Tonight's 'Hondo'."

"Never seen that one before, not even sure I've heard of it," answered Mark.

"You'll like it. It's one of his earlier movies. Starts in an hour, so there's time for a nap." Hardcastle could see the fatigue in Mark's face along with a slightly glazed look in his eyes.

"Mark, I'm heading home now. Take it easy and get some sleep," ordered Sarah gently. "See you in the morning." Both Hardcastle and Mark said good night as she left.

Mark managed to stay awake for the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Hardcastle looked over to the sleeping ex-con and smiled. He stood up and pulled the blanket up over Mark's chest and then lowered the bed a bit. "Good night, McCormick," he whispered as he settled back into the chair, turned the volume down and finished the movie.

The next day was a blur for Mark. Nurses came, changed the IV bags, and replaced the drainage bags. The doctor continued to prescribe a dosage of pain medication for McCormick, knowing that the abdominal area was going to be very sensitive. Mark slept through most of it. He was awake for about two hours total. Hardcastle stayed the night, sitting in the chair next to Mark's bed. It was another quiet night.

Sunday morning when Sarah returned she found Mark sitting up in his bed with a breakfast tray. It was the same bland tea and gelatin. Hardcastle was not in the room. "Good morning, Mark!" greeted Sarah warmly. "Where's the judge?"

"Cafeteria," said Mark simply. "He wanted some coffee and I didn't want an audience for my morning sponge bath." Mark stared at the food on his tray.

"Well, it appears that you are feeling better today."

"Yeah, I guess so. Side still hurts." Mark looked up from tray. He looked pale but the glazed look in his eyes from the previous night was gone. As Mark looked at Sarah, his face held an expression of guilt and remorse. "Sarah, I'm sorry I didn't say anything about this on Monday morning when you asked if I was okay. I should have said something Sunday night when the pain started."

"Mark, I think I understand why you didn't say anything," Sarah said quietly. Mark looked at her with a question in his eyes. Sarah continued, "You didn't feel like you could trust us, did you?"

"I guess so. I knew I should have said something, but I didn't want to become a headache. Besides, I did try to say something to the judge, but he was in a bad mood that morning."

"Didn't want to be a headache!" bellowed Hardcastle as he entered the room. Both Sarah and Mark jumped at the sound of the judge. "You've been a headache since I met you in my courtroom three years ago."

"Your Honor! Please, this is not helping," admonished Sarah.

"It's okay, Sarah. Judge's right. I've been a headache and by not saying anything on Monday, I've become a migraine."

"Okay, kid. Got a new deal for you," challenged Hardcastle looking directly at McCormick.

McCormick looked at him and asked, "Oh yeah, what kinda deal?"

"You be honest with us and I'll try harder to listen. Of course, can't guarantee that it'll be easy for either of us."

"Well, at least this deal is easier to accept than the first deal you offered me." Mark paused and then quipped, "I accept. It should be fun watching an old donkey like you learn to listen."

"McCormick!" bellowed the judge.

Sarah watched the expression on the judge's face. His voice may have been gruff but there was a smile in his eyes. "Your Honor, I think we should let Mark finish his breakfast before you yell at him too much."

Mark looked over at Sarah and gave her his trademark goofy grin. "Thanks, Sarah."

"You, young man," Sarah said pointing her finger at Mark, "finish eating. I want to see you eat that gelatin, not just play with it. If you want to get out of here, then you need to eat better."

"Yes, ma'am" replied Mark bashfully. He was happy to have people who cared about him and he was beginning to feel like he could be honest with Sarah and the judge. He still had a few questions to ask the judge, but those could wait.

Mark reluctantly finished his breakfast and decided a nap would be a good plan. He also decided he didn't need to be watched while he slept, especially since he felt better. "Judge, you said you want me to be honest with you, can we start now?"

"Sure. What's on your mind?" asked Hardcastle, not expecting this so soon.

"I want you and Sarah to go back to the estate while I nap. You've been here the last three nights, sleeping in that chair," Mark said, as he pointed to the uncomfortable-looking hospital chair. "Go home and get some real sleep," commanded Mark.

As Mark settled back down, Sarah and the judge agreed to go back to the estate for a few hours. Sarah promised she would return at lunchtime and the judge promised to be back for dinner.

Mark spent most of the day sleeping. The new antibiotics seemed to be helping since he was more alert at lunchtime when Sarah visited and managed to stay awake for most of the evening movie with Hardcastle. At the end of the movie, Hardcastle pulled the blanket up around McCormick and patted his shoulder. "Good night, kid. I'll be back tomorrow."

"Bring muffins," mumbled Mark as Hardcastle turned to leave.

"Not for another day. Tuesday, McCormick, Tuesday," Hardcastle chuckled and headed out the door.

Mark tried to be a good patient on Monday. He grumbled about the liquid diet at breakfast and was rewarded with a little bit of fruit ice at lunch. By dinnertime, Mark was a grumpy patient. He was tired of being confined to a bed. As he looked at the tray containing his dinner of beef broth, orange Jell-O, strained fruit juice, a milk shake, and more tea, he was practically begging Sarah to bring him muffins the next day. Sarah just smiled and handed him the cup of orange Jell-O.

Tuesday morning, Mark was waiting in bed for Sarah. He was as anxious as a kid on Christmas. The nurses had informed him that he could start eating solid food again and had brought him a breakfast tray. Mark lifted the cover on the plate and cringed. _Scrambled eggs a la hospital. Yuck!_

As soon as Sarah and the judge walked into the room, McCormick was asking for muffins. Sarah smiled and handed him two muffins that were still warm from the oven and wrapped in a towel. Mark quickly unwrapped then and took a large bite of the first one. "Blueberry! Oh, Sarah, I have died and gone to heaven," exclaimed Mark.

"Nonsense. It's just a simple muffin made from a family recipe," answered Sarah with a big smile. She loved the grin that was on Mark's face as he ate the muffins. He could act like such a kid at times, which amazed her. Most of the other convicts that had been at Gulls' Way struggled to see the bright side of life. It was like prison had removed their ability to see joy in the simple things. Mark had not lost that precious gift.

"McCormick, you don't need to eat so fast," admonished Hardcastle.

"Oh yeah. I suppose you want me to share. Well, no way. These are mine and I'm not sharing," Mark teased with a big grin on his face.

"Don't need to share. There's a dozen more waiting at home," answered Hardcastle. He actually enjoyed watching Mark.

"Well, in that case, can I have some more?"

"Sorry, Mark," answered Sarah. "The doctor said to start out slow. Now that you have had this treat, you will need to stick the hospital diet."

"Please tell me you're kidding. I don't think I can eat any of the food here," said Mark pointing at his plate. "Look at this and tell me you would honestly touch the eggs."

"Well, I wouldn't, but I'm not the one that's sick," explained Hardcastle with a smile. "Eat your breakfast and then we can watch TV. The Lone Ranger is on at 9:30 and I think it's an episode that you'll like – 'Return of the Convict'. It's about an man who was sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit."

"Judge, are you making this up?" asked McCormick, trying not to gag on a bite of the eggs.

"Scout's honor. It's a real episode. Only difference from your case is that he didn't really do it and the witness lied," answered Hardcastle with a smile.

"Come on," whined McCormick. He was happy to be bantering again with Hardcastle.

"Stop, both of you are acting like children," laughed Sarah. "Mark, finish breakfast. Your Honor, let him eat."

Mark finished breakfast as the Lone Ranger was starting. Hardcastle and Mark watched the episode in companionable silence. As the show was finishing the doctor came to check on McCormick. He indicated that everything was looking good. Drainage had stopped on the first abscess and was almost non-existent on the second. He made plans to remove the first drainage tube that afternoon. The mention of removing one of the tubes was great news to Mark. He was ready to celebrate with another muffin.

"Sarah, since things are going so well, can I have another muffin?" asked McCormick.

"Mr. McCormick, I let you have Ms. Wicks' muffins this morning as a special treat. However, I want you to follow the prescribed diet for the remainder of the day," replied the doctor. Seeing the frown on McCormick's face he continued, "If things continue to improve at the current rate, we can look at adding more treats to your diet. I've been told that popcorn is a necessity with John Wayne movies."

"Yeah, and so is beer. Not like I'll be getting any of that in here," grumbled Mark.

"Correct. But you also won't be drinking it at home for a few weeks either. Alcohol, pain killers, and antibiotics don't mix," quipped Hardcastle.

"Okay, fine. I'll be good little boy and eat my veggies," joked Mark as he looked at Hardcastle. Then in a serious tone he asked the doctor, "When do I go home?"

"It will be a few more days, Mark. First, we'll remove that tube this afternoon and possibly the others tomorrow. Another few days of rest to strengthen your system, then you should be able to go home on Saturday afternoon."

"Saturday. Well, at least it's something to look forward to. Thanks, Doctor."

"Well, if you have no other questions, I'll be back around 3 pm to remove that drainage tube."

"Thank you, Doctor," Sarah said as the doctor turned to leave. Sarah then turned to face Mark. "Such wonderful news. Mark, you look a bit tired. Do you want a nap before lunch?"

"I guess so. There isn't much to do but sit in bed and I am not in a hurry for lunch." Mark lay back against the pillows as Sarah lowered the bed. "That's far enough. Thanks, Sarah. Look, you don't need to wait around with me."

"Are you sure?" asked Sarah. She was surprised by the request for them to leave, especially after he had been so scared earlier.

"I'll be fine. How about coming back for the removal procedure? Maybe afterwards we can celebrate with a nice cup of Jell-O."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll check to see which movie is on tonight and bring some cards back with me," offered Hardcastle. "Maybe the three of us can play later."

"It's 'Fort Apache', Judge. Saw the advertisement earlier," stated Mark. "Cards would be great. See you both later," yawned Mark.

Mark closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep after the judge and Sarah left. Around noon , the nurse returned with a lunch tray. McCormick did his best to eat the vegetable soup and some of the cooked carrots. The only thing that he ate all of was the crackers and his milk. _Not much of a lunch but at least I tried. _He wasn't really tired so he decided to watch a little TV while he waited for Hardcastle and Sarah to return.

At 2:30 pm, he woke to see Sarah smiling at him from her chair. "Good afternoon, Mark. Did you have a nice nap?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah," answered Mark rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I don't remember falling asleep, though. I was watching some talk show."

"Yeah, I turned if off. Nothing interesting on in the middle of the day," called Hardcastle from the doorway. "Just talked with the doctor and they will be ready for you in fifteen minutes."

"Okay," replied Mark, taking a sip from the glass of water on his bedside table. "By the way, I was a good boy and ate my lunch, well, except most of the mushy carrots." Mark flashed a grin at Sarah.

A few minutes later, the nurse came to take McCormick back to radiology where they were going to remove the drainage tube and check the size of the second abscess. It would be a relatively easy procedure that did not require general anesthesia, just a local. Sarah and the judge remained in Mark's room. An hour later, Mark was back and appeared to be relaxed. "One down, two more to go," commented Mark. "They figure the next one can be removed late tomorrow morning. Then I can get out of bed."

"That's wonderful, Mark. By the way, we brought a few things from home for you. Thought you might want your robe and slippers."

"Thanks, Sarah."

"Great news, McCormick," said the judge with a sparkle in his eye. "I have a real treat for you tonight. Can't have popcorn and beer, but I have something that should be just as good, provided you eat all of your dinner."

"Judge, what did you bring?" asked Mark suspiciously.

"Nope, not telling. Just have to wait." The judge looked over at Sarah who was giving him a disapproving look. "So, what do you say we play cards until dinner?" When no one seemed eager to answer, the judge asked, "Rummy or Blackjack?"

"Rummy," answered Sarah quickly. "I'll deal." Sarah took out the deck of cards and they proceeded to play rummy until Mark's dinner tray arrived.

The judge went down to the cafeteria and brought back two meatloaf dinners for Sarah and him. Their dinner did look better than Mark's dinner of bland potato soup, baked fish, and broccoli. The bright spot on McCormick's tray was the strawberry Jell-O. Mark did his best to eat, or at least try everything on his tray.

"McCormick, just eat your dinner." The judge watched him a moment longer and asked, "Were you this picky in prison?"

"No. The food was a bit better there. At least there were lumpy mashed potatoes. I'm trying, Judge, honestly," whined Mark. "I guess, I've gotten spoiled with Sarah's cooking."

"Well, cheer up, in a few more days, you can eat her cooking."

"I know, I'm counting the days."

"Mark, I'll bring you something tomorrow for lunch. Just need to clear it with the doctor first." Sarah watched the expression on Mark's face go from sullen to grinning. _He really is easy to please. _Sarah smiled at Mark and then said, "Well, I had better go check with the doctor and then head home." She looked at the judge and said, "Don't keep him up late."

"Good night, Sarah, and thanks," Mark said, as the judge began to pick up the dinner remains. About a half hour after Sarah left, Mark sat back in his bed and asked, "So, what's my treat?"

"Catch." Hardcastle threw a napkin-wrapped object to McCormick.

McCormick opened the package and grinned, "You decided to share. Thanks, Judge."

"Yeah, well, can't have you starving to death," Hardcastle said in his gruff voice that was trying to hide the laughter. "Besides, even I can take pity on someone having to eat that food. I thought military service food was bad, but it wasn't that bad."

Mark gave Hardcastle the biggest, goofy grin he could muster and said, "Thanks!" as he took a bite out of the blueberry muffin. He could have sworn he heard Hardcastle mutter something about muffins appearing to be better than dating. They played a couple hands of cards before the movie came on. Mark and Hardcastle watched the movie with Mark providing his normal commentary and Hardcastle telling him to be quiet.

The next day, Mark ate breakfast by himself. He was feeling better and was happy when the doctor scheduled to have the remaining drainage tube removed at 10 am. He called the judge and told him to wait and come over for lunch. The morning's procedure went well and McCormick was able to finally get out of bed for a few minutes. He was very shaky standing but didn't care. The doctor warned him not to get out of bed unless someone was with him.

"Can't have you falling over and breaking a leg," stated the doctor as he watched Mark take a few shaky steps.

"Nah, he wouldn't break his leg, maybe his head, but not his leg," called Hardcastle, as he walked into the room.

"Judge, look, I can get up now," shouted an overjoyed McCormick, who was standing next to his bed.

That's wonderful, Mark!" greeted Sarah as she came into the room carrying a basket.

Mark saw the basket and attempted to rush over to Sarah. He only made it a few steps before his legs turned to jelly. Hardcastle noticed the change in Mark's stance and reached out an arm to catch him as he went down, being careful of the IV that was still attached. Hardcastle then guided Mark back to bed, while the doctor moved the IV pole.

"See, doctor, won't break a leg. Hardcase will just catch me," said Mark sitting back on the bed and taking his robe off.

"Well, still take it slow. No getting up by your self and be careful with the IV. Now, I will leave you to your lunch," said the doctor as he gave Sarah a wink and smile.

Mark looked over at Sarah. "You made lunch!"

"Yes, but only part of it. You still need to eat the tray that the nurse is bringing for you," said Sarah as she opened the basket and started to pull out a loaf of bread and a big bowl.

"What did you make?" asked McCormick anxiously.

"Vegetable soup and bread. An old family recipe that also happens to be the judge's favorite," replied Sarah with a smile.

"Sarah, you are an angel. Do I have to share with the judge?"

"Hey! I shared my muffins with you, so yeah, you have to share," retorted Hardcastle as he handed McCormick a bowl.

"Just checking," replied Mark with a grin.

As Sarah started to serve the soup, the nurse came in with Mark's tray. "Ah, looks like someone had been very good today – no gelatin," quipped Hardcastle. He had noticed that Mark absolutely hated the gelatin and would spend more time playing with it than actually eating it.

Mark ignored the tray and took a spoonful of the vegetable soup. "Oh Sarah, this is wonderful. Thank you!" exclaimed Mark.

"You're welcome, Mark."

After Mark finished the bowl of soup and a slice of bread, Sarah convinced Mark to at least try the hamburger that was on his tray. Mark managed to eat half of the hamburger, the applesauce, and the pudding. Sarah was happy to see him eating. She had noticed that Mark had lost a lot of weight since he had been in the hospital. _He's normally a thin young man, but now he's so bony._ _It's going to take some time to put the weight back on, but it should be a good excuse to learn what his favorite foods are and make them._

"Well, it appears that my work here is done - two gentlemen with full stomachs," said Sarah as she packed up the bowls and soup remains. "I'm going back to Gulls' Way. I have some things to finish tonight, so I won't be back until tomorrow." Sarah turned to the judge and said "Make sure Mark takes a nap and takes it easy."

"Yes, ma'am," answered Mark before the judge could respond. "I'll be careful. Thanks again, Sarah. See you tomorrow."

Sarah gave Mark a small kiss on the cheek, said good-bye, and left quietly. The judge made himself comfortable in the chair, while Mark fidgeted in bed.

"Stop fidgeting," grumped Hardcastle

"Can't, I kinda need to get up. Bathroom," said an embarrassed McCormick.

"Ahh. Let me help you walk over there," offered the judge as he watched Mark get out of bed. Hardcastle grabbed the IV pole and walked alongside Mark across the room. He then waited patiently for Mark to come out to make the return trip across the room.

Once Mark was settled back in bed, he said, "Thanks, Judge. Not used to having to ask for help with the simple tasks."

"Not a problem. Had similar experiences in the past," responded Hardcastle. "Now settle down and take your nap. I'm tired."

Both men managed to fall asleep. By mid-afternoon, Hardcastle was awake and watching McCormick sleep. _Kid, you amaze me. You are thriving with Sarah's attention. How can you be so happy with the simple things like soup or muffins? I know I told you that you weren't a replacement, but damn you do have some similarities to Tommy. Both of you love those blueberry muffins, are good kids, and can drive me crazy. However, your smart mouth and quirky smile set you apart. You're definitely not a substitute. You are an original._ Hardcastle smiled to himself as he thought.

"Whatcha thinking, Hardcase? The next guy we're going after?" joked McCormick.

"Nah. Just thinking about the jungle that you'll be going back to," parried Hardcastle.

"Wonderful. Maybe I should break that leg," countered McCormick. "Hey, can we go for a walk?"

"Are you up to it?"

"Yeah, I need to get out of the room," McCormick said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Hand me my robe. Can't stand the air-conditioning on these gowns." Hardcastle chuckled as he handed Mark the robe.

Mark made it as far as the nurses' station before he decided it was far enough. "I can't believe how tired I'm already," moaned Mark.

"Not unusual, considering you've been in a bed for the past ten days. It'll get better," offered Hardcastle. "Lie back and we'll try again after dinner." Hardcastle pulled out the deck of cards and offered them to McCormick. "Poker or Blackjack?"

"Poker." They played poker until the dinner tray was brought in. Mark took one look at it and cringed.

"No whining tonight. Just eat."

"Didn't say a thing."

"No, but you were thinking it. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to the cafeteria."

When Hardcastle returned twenty minutes later with his dinner, Mark was just finishing his baked chicken. The cauliflower and carrots were still on his plate. Hardcastle set his dinner down and began to eat. As Mark struggled to finish the vegetables, Hardcastle pulled a chocolate bar from his jacket pocket and pushed it towards Mark. "For the movie tonight. I get half. Don't tell Sarah."

Mark looked at Hardcastle and smiled. His eyes sparkled with the knowledge that they were co-conspirators. Both men finished their dinner in silence. After dinner, Hardcastle helped Mark out of bed for the promised walk. This time they made it past the nurses station and almost halfway around the floor. Mark was exhausted so they returned to the room and settled in for the movie, "The Cowboys".

The next morning, Mark managed to convince a nurse to help him take a walk around the floor before breakfast. As he returned to his room, the doctor, as well as Sarah and Hardcastle, were waiting for him.

"Well, kid, looks like you couldn't wait to start the dating the nurses," commented Hardcastle as he watched the pretty blond nurse help Mark back into bed. "I thought the gentleman was supposed to make sure the lady got home okay, instead of the other way around," laughed Hardcastle.

"Judge, this was not a date. Nurse Julie is already married and has two kids of her own," replied Mark. "Now, I am thinking about asking Nurse Amy for a date. She's the cute brunette that does the sponge-baths."

"Okay, you two. Enough." Sarah tried to hide a smile. "Mark, the doctor has some more news for you."

"Yes, Mark. Since you seem to be eager to go for walks, if everything continues as well as it has, we may let you take a walk in the courtyard tomorrow." The doctor sensing McCormick was going to ask something continued, "As for today, continue walking the floor with assistance." The doctor then turned to the judge and said, "No more chocolate bars; they're not on the approved list yet."

The judge looked at McCormick. "Don't look at me, I didn't say anything. It's my stomach that suffers if I don't get treats," exclaimed Mark.

"No, Mark didn't say anything. Nurse Janet, the nurse that came in and told you two to quiet down, saw the evidence. And yes, I know that Mark only had half," chuckled the doctor.

Both the judge and Mark had slightly guilty looks on their faces when Sarah looked at them. "Your Honor! You promised that you would keep him out of trouble," admonished Sarah as she laughed at the two grown men before her.

"Well, I'll allow one small treat for tonight's movie. Provided you promise to keep the noise levels down. This is a hospital after all," quipped the doctor. Turning to Sarah, he said, "I'll let you tell them later."

Sarah smiled in return and thanked the doctor as he left the room. Turning her attention to Hardcastle she said, "Go, run your errands. Mark and I will sit here while he eats breakfast. We'll see you at lunch."

"Right. See you both later."

Sarah sat with Mark as he ate his breakfast. They chatted for a while before Mark asked, "Why does he do what he does?"

"What do you mean, Mark?" asked Sarah. She wasn't sure what Mark was thinking but she knew that something serious was on his mind.

"I mean, how come he's been on my case since that first day in court? I know you said he cares, but I don't understand why he fusses so much about the pool, the hedges, the rose garden, and the lawn. I feel more like a slave instead of a rehabilitation project."

"Mark, the judge cares. He expects you to follow the rules that he lays out because he feels you need structure. The chores are a way of giving you some responsibility and something to take pride in." Seeing the confusion in Mark's eyes, Sarah took a deep breath and continued. "Did your mother expect you to do chores around the house when you were growing up?"

"Yeah, I helped with the dishes every night," responded Mark quietly. "I also helped with making dinner. Momma worked two jobs, so I had to help out. At least I did, until she got sick and died when I was twelve."

"Your momma was teaching you responsibilities and creating structure with those chores. Did you ever feel pride in something that you made your mom for dinner?" Sarah stopped for a moment and watched Marks expression. She stood up and moved to sit on the side of his bed. "Sometimes, when people care, they want to challenge you with more responsibilities."

"So, the judge expects me to take pride in the yard work?" questioned Mark looking at Sarah.

"Yes and no. He understands that a lot of what he is asking you to do is new for you. He expects you to take pride in learning the new skills that are required to maintain the estate. Your ability to acquire new skills will help you develop a better sense of who you can become. The judge is only giving you a chance to determine what type of life you want for yourself."

"So, he cares enough to give me a safe environment, in which to make mistakes."

Mark's mind was considering more questions to ask when Sarah placed her hand on his cheek, looked into his soft blue eyes and said, "I give you chores because I care. I believe that you are a good man, who has made several mistakes and I see that you are honestly trying. The judge sees those same qualities. You are different than all of the other ex-cons that we have had at Gulls' Way. You care about people and want to do the right thing. You tend to do the right thing, but with the wrong method." Sarah stopped for a moment. "It's like mulching the gardens. You can spread the mulch over the weeds or you can pull the weeds and then spread the mulch. Both ways get the mulch down, but one method is more time-consuming and gives a better finished product."

Mark smiled and clasped Sarah's hands between his. "Thanks, I think I understand. He cares. He gives me chores and he expects me to make mistakes. He also expects me to succeed." Sarah smiled back at him and nodded her head in agreement. "I think I need a short nap."

Sarah got up and helped Mark with the blankets. Once he was resting comfortably, she sat back in her chair to await the judge's return. _I think he finally understands what we expect of him. The judge picked a good candidate for his retirement project._

"Well, kiddo, ready for a walk?" asked Hardcastle, as he walked into the room before lunch.

"Yeah." Mark got up from the bed and slipped the robe easily over the right arm and carefully over the left shoulder. Hardcastle grabbed the IV pole and they both walked slowly out of the room, heading down the hall.

That evening, as Sarah was getting ready to leave, Mark remembered what the doctor said. "Sarah, what's the treat for tonight's movie? He said you were going to tell us."

"Well, I remember someone saying you couldn't have a John Wayne movie without popcorn and beer. No, there's no beer for tonight. However, one of the nurses will be bringing a couple bowls of popcorn in for tonight's movie."

"Sarah, how did you manage that one?" asked an astounded Hardcastle.

"Well, I mentioned to the doctor that tonight's movie was 'Tall in the Saddle'," said Sarah simply. "It just so happens to be his favorite and he agreed that you couldn't have the Duke without the popcorn."

"I really get to have popcorn?" asked Mark. A thought occurred to him that caused his grin to sag for a moment as he said, "Please tell me the hospital kitchen didn't make it."

"No, the doctors' lounge has a popcorn maker and the nurses will make it for you. No butter or salt, but at least it's something."

"I don't care if there's no butter or salt, as long as the hospital kitchen didn't make it!" exclaimed Mark.

"Speak for yourself, McCormick. Some of us like our butter and salt," grouched Hardcastle with an amused expression.

"Well, I will see you two tomorrow. Good night and remember to keep the noise down."

Both men wished Sarah a good night. Mark then got out of bed and started to reach for his robe. Hardcastle helped him and then grabbed the IV pole. Mark set the pace for the walk around the floor. He managed to complete two and a half laps before deciding to call it quits for the night. Tomorrow, he was going out to the courtyard.

Friday morning, it rained and Mark's courtyard trip was cancelled. He walked three laps around the floor instead. It was going to be a long day inside. Mark was grumpy and no amount of walking inside was going to cure it. Hardcastle tried to interest Mark in a game of cards but he declined. Instead he lay back in bed and tried to fall asleep. Hardcastle decided to talk with the doctor about Mark's release, so he excused himself and went in search of the doctor. About an hour later, Hardcastle came back to the room, whispered something to Sarah. Sarah picked up her purse and left.

When Sarah returned at lunchtime, she came in carrying a bag of fast food. Mark had been dozing until he smelled French fries. He woke up and looked at the bag in Sarah's hand and gave her the biggest grin.

"Once again, the Angel of Mercy has returned," quipped Mark.

"No, just the delivery person. The judge is your Angel of Mercy today," responded Sarah with an equally big grin.

Mark turned to the judge and asked, "So how did you pull this one off? If chocolate got us in trouble, how do you think the doctor will respond to greasy fries?"

"Nope, all clear with the doctor. Since things are going so well, we decided to give you a break from the food here." The judge waited a moment for the reality of the situation to sink in before continuing, "So, you can have this for lunch and we're having pizza for dinner."

"You're kidding, right? Please tell me this isn't a joke," begged Mark.

"Wouldn't joke about hospital food, kiddo," laughed Hardcastle. "You want the best news?"

"Yeah," replied Mark nervously.

"The IV comes out this afternoon and you start on oral antibiotic in preparation for going home tomorrow." Hardcastle was grinning as he told Mark about going home.

"YES!" hollered Mark, just as a nurse was walking past the room. She stopped and popped her head in the door.

"Mr. McCormick! Please remember that not everyone on this floor is as healthy as you. Shhh," admonished the nurse. "By the way, I am happy to hear you will be going home tomorrow." She smiled at the group and left.

"Oops. Okay, Sarah, hand the bag over and let's eat." Mark was so excited to be eating real food, getting rid of the IV and knowing that this was his last night in the hospital.

That night in the hospital after enjoying a dinner of plain cheese pizza, since pepperoni was still on the restricted list, Hardcastle and Mark went on a long walk. Mark wanted to stop by the nurses' station to request popcorn for the night's movie. As he placed his order, the older nurse from his first nights in the hospital stopped.

"Mr. McCormick, you look a lot better than the first night I saw you." Seeing the confusion on his face, she said, "Please forgive me, I'm Nurse Eaton. I was with you the first couple nights that you were here. You were pretty out of it and probably don't remember me."

Mark blushed and apologized for any trouble that he caused. Hardcastle had told him about pulling the IV out. Nurse Eaton just smiled back and assured him it wasn't a problem. "I do have one question for you though. You mumbled something about a donkey and a coyote. What were you referring to?"

Mark looked at Hardcastle and burst out laughing. He then turned to the nurse and pointed to Hardcastle, "He's the donkey. The coyote's my car. I guess I must have been thinking about him driving my car."

"The coyote, huh. Must be some car to have a name like that," replied the nurse. She didn't want to ask about the donkey commentary.

"It's a race car that was designed by a friend," offered McCormick. Mark looked over at Hardcastle and decided it was time to head back to the room for a bit. He looked back at the nurse and thanked her for taking care of him and wished her a good evening. As they walked back to the room, McCormick asked the judge about any other weird things that he mentioned in his sleep.

"Well kiddo, you were up at 6:30 am asking for your basketball."

"Judge, I don't get up that early for anyone but you. And you have to make a lot of noise first," retorted Mark. He didn't believe that he would actually have been awake and asking for a basketball at that hour.

Later that evening, Mark was sitting in bed watching the movie when he decided it was time to get some answers. "Judge, can I ask you something?"

"Just did," answered Hardcastle, not even looking away from the movie.

"Seriously. Why was Dalem here?" Mark asked nervously, as he set his popcorn down. Mark watched Hardcastle's face and noticed a slight twitch.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I have a vague memory of him being in the room and I heard you say something about not trusting the arrangement and being sent back. Are you and Dalem sending me back?" Mark looked directly into Hardcastle's eyes.

The Judge could see that Mark was scared, so he decided to put it all out in the open. "No, I am not sending you back. Jeez, McCormick, what type of person do you think I am?" answered Hardcastle gruffly. "Mr. Dalem was just checking in to see how you were doing. He is your parole officer after all." Hardcastle paused to watch Mark's eyes. "I met with him that Monday you ended up in here. We made a deal that would limit the number of check-in visits with his office to once a quarter. The first appointment was scheduled for that Wednesday. He is planning on coming out to Gulls' Way when you are feeling better."

"Oh," answered McCormick. "That's good. Because I really don't want to go back." Mark looked relieved and settled back into the pillows.

The judge watched McCormick and quietly said, "Now, can I ask you a question?"

"Just did," quipped Mark with brightness in his eye.

"Smart mouth." Hardcastle looked at Mark for a moment and then asked, "Who's Simmons?"

Mark's face went pale and the laughter that had been in his eyes earlier was gone. "Where did you hear that name?" asked Mark in a small voice.

"You mentioned him in one of your fevered conversations," responded Hardcastle. In an attempt to make McCormick more comfortable he added quickly, "As well as something about donkeys and coyotes."

"Oh." Mark was wondering what else had been said. He looked down at the empty bowl of popcorn and studied the un-popped kernels.

"If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I was curious since you were very agitated when you said the name," said Hardcastle quietly, sensing that Mark was upset by the question.

"No, I'll tell you." Mark paused and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Simmons was a thug on a life sentence. He was also someone who made my first months at Quentin a living nightmare. Because of him, I spent ten days in solitary for something I didn't do. You saw my record. Ten days in solitary for unauthorized access to a classroom and fighting." Mark stopped and looked up at Hardcastle. "I was targeted for being the new guy on the block. I never provoked Simmons, but he sent two guys after me. I ended up breaking his nose before he was re-located to another block. He threatened to kill me if I ever came back."

Hardcastle didn't know what to say. Mark's confession didn't surprise him, but the sadness in his voice and the anger in his eyes did. "Sorry, kid. I didn't know about Simmons. That type of behavior should never be allowed."

"Yeah, well it happens. Consider it an initiation ritual," spat back McCormick. He softened his tone and then said, "Forget about him. I try not to dwell on those first few months." Mark paused for a moment and then said lightly, "I'm actually surprised you didn't know him. I thought you sent everyone to Quentin. Got any more popcorn?"

"Nah, I sent a few to Alcatraz." Hardcastle knew that McCormick was done talking about this topic and decided to let it drop. "All out of popcorn. Time for bed."

Mark gave Hardcastle a small smile and began to settle back against the pillows. The judge turned off the TV and was about to leave when McCormick quietly said, "Stay, please."

"Sure, kid, I'll stay," answered Hardcastle gently. He settled back into his chair and turned off the lights. "Good night."

"Night."

McCormick was released from the hospital later the next morning. After spending thirteen days in the hospital, suffering through two surgeries, and losing almost twenty pounds, Mark was ready to go home, or at least back to the gatehouse. He was tired of sitting in the hospital room with nothing to do, except pick at the hospital food, sleep and watch TV. Hardcastle was helping Mark get dressed when the doctor came into his room to go over the discharge instructions.

"Mark, you need to take it easy for several more weeks. You need to continue taking the antibiotics for a month. You are not allowed to drive for a couple more weeks, or at least until the abdominal muscles have healed further."

"Oh come on, doctor, no driving for a week! You have got to be kidding me," Mark practically yelled.

"Mark, this is serious. And it will be at least two more weeks before I allow you to drive. You've had surgery on the abdominal muscles. They need time to heal. The last thing that you want to do is to tear the muscles and come back here. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I suppose. So what else do I have to do or not do as the case may be?" Mark asked.

"No heavy lifting until you are cleared by me. Only light activities will be allowed, but not for another week. Even then, I don't want you to overdo it. You will tire easy and it'll take some time to build back up to your previous activity level."

"Hey, did you hear that, Hardcase? No cleaning gutters, the pool, or mowing the lawn for weeks!" Mark said teasingly to Hardcastle with a big grin.

"Don't worry kid. Next week were working on some filing issues. I have plenty of other light chores for you to work on for the next couple of weeks." Hardcastle said with a devious smile. _Oh, I definitely have a few things to keep you busy, kid._

"Oh," McCormick mumbled with the smile leaving his face. "I guess this won't be a vacation then."

"No, it won't totally be a vacation. There are still some chores that you will do. However, for the next week it can be a vacation of sorts," stated Hardcastle and then he focused his attention back on the doctor. "So, what other issues do we need to deal with before taking McCormick home?"

"Well, I would like Mark to avoid doing stairs for the next week. That should give the abdominal muscles additional time. I want to see Mark next week for a follow-up visit. The incision dressing should be changed daily. Try to keep it dry. Showers are not a problem, but no swimming," the doctor said giving Mark a knowing look.

"Okay, so much for lounging in the pool," whined Mark.

"By the pool is okay. The fresh air will be good for you," gruffed Hardcastle. "You can work on getting that tan back that you are always bragging about."

Once the doctor was sure that Mark was going to follow orders, he released Mark to go home. Hardcastle walked with Mark out to the front door and to the truck. Hardcastle helped Mark into the truck and they proceeded to head home. Mark watched anxiously for the Gulls' Way entrance. He was eager to be home and out of the small hospital room.

Mark wanted to walk along the beach, but knew there was no way Hardcastle would let him go down. However, he decided to be content with sitting by the pool and watching the boats on the ocean. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Sarah came out to greet them. She quickly ushered Mark into the main house. She had a light lunch ready for Mark. Once lunch was over, Hardcastle mentioned to Mark that he should take a nap.

"Judge, I was hoping to spend time out by the pool."

"Nah, take a nap first. Heat of the day is bad for your white skin. Don't want sunburn on the first day home."

Mark conceded and was headed to the gatehouse when the judge stopped him. "Where are you going?"

"Gatehouse, my bed."

"Nope, no stairs. Remember? Sarah fixed a room for you here." Hardcastle walked down the hall to the living room and opened the door for Mark. "See, all the comforts of home." Hardcastle pointed to the bed that had been set-up in the living room for Mark.

"Thanks," replied Mark as he moved to the bed. He sat down and kicked his shoes off. "Wake me in an hour, 'kay."

"Yah," replied Hardcastle as he closed the door behind him.

Two hours later, Mark came into the den. "What happened to waking me in an hour?"

"Tried, but you mentioned something about an old donkey and no basketball. Decided it was better for you to sleep some more."

"Oh. Guess I was tired."

"Sarah has pot roast for dinner. Be ready in a couple hours. Go on, sit by the pool."

"Sarah makes the best pot roast. She making mashed potatoes, too?"

"Yeah. You want her to leave the lumps?"

"Nope. She makes them perfect, without the lumps. Thanks, Judge," smiled McCormick as he turned to leave. McCormick stopped by the kitchen on his way to the pool. He walked up to Sarah and gave her a gentle hug.

"What was that for?" asked Sarah. She was surprised by the hug. It seemed like a natural thing coming from Mark, but it was the first time he'd given her one.

"For everything," replied Mark as he headed out to the pool, smiling and happy to be home.


End file.
